The European Union has urged the International Labour Organization (ILO) to prioritise stronger implementation of international labour standards, effective national policies and sustained tripartite engagement to advance gender equality in the world of work. In a statement delivered on 2 June 2026 at the ILO's 114th session in Geneva, the EU emphasised that social dialogue and collective bargaining remain essential tools for achieving equal pay, decent working conditions, work-life balance and protection from gender-based violence and harassment.
The statement was made during the General Discussion Committee on Advancing the Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work, addressing discussion point 3 on priority actions for ILO constituents and the International Labour Office. The EU and its member states, along with candidate countries and other aligning states, outlined concrete measures for governments, employers and workers' organisations.
Governments, the EU said, should strengthen legal, institutional and enforcement frameworks on equality and non-discrimination, equal pay, maternity protection, parental and carers' leave, work-life balance, and social protection. They should also adopt integrated, evidence-based approaches including national action plans, and support women's entry, re-entry and retention in the labour market through pathways to formalisation and quality jobs.
Employers were called on to promote inclusive workplaces with transparent pay systems, non-discriminatory recruitment and promotion, support for women's leadership, family-friendly arrangements and safe working environments. Workers' organisations should strengthen women's voice, representation and leadership in collective bargaining and occupational safety and health, particularly for women in informal, domestic and non-standard forms of work.
The EU also stressed that effective implementation of ILO Convention No. 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work remains essential, requiring prevention, awareness-raising, safe reporting systems, workplace-level measures, access to remedies and enforcement.
Finally, the EU encouraged the ILO Office to keep gender equality as a core strategic priority, strengthening gender mainstreaming across programmes through adequate expertise, staffing, gender-responsive budgeting, gender analysis, gender-disaggregated data and monitoring tools. It called for practical guidance to integrate gender equality into digital, AI-related and just transition policies, and for coordinated integration across crises and reforms. Partnerships such as the Equal Pay International Coalition were highlighted as vehicles for practical implementation and policy coherence.